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Phelan Park Makes for Great Skateboard Adventures

They say life is no walk in the park, but at Phelan Park, you can do just that – or you can take a roll in the park with the Menomonie Skate Park for local ‘boarders. It’s one of the few entirely concrete parks around, Casey Koleno, a local skateboarder, said. It was built in the early 2000s and was funded by the Tony Hawk Foundation. “The guys that have been there since the first day are all super chill and are always down for a skate sesh no matter what skill level you are,” he said. “So just come up expecting to have a good, fun day of skateboarding.” The skate park has obstacles such as quarter pipes, flat rails, boxes, ledges, benches, bank ramps, a euro (step-up) gap, a small bowl, a pyramid, and even more, according to the park’s LocalWiki. A few years ago, Phelan Park was even featured in a short film by John Eward called Coping With Menomonie which highlighted the skateboarding community in Menomonie. “We wanted to showcase the talent that we had hidden in our small city,” Koleno, who was in the film, said. The park is usually used for shelter reservations, skate park and disc golf enthusiasts, Menomonie youth flag football and 7-on-7 football programs, as well as the Menomonie Blue Caps baseball events, according to Julie Stratton, the recreation manager for the City of Menomonie. The park is free and open to the public.